Some thoughts on our first issue:
On Thursday, Mr. Grijalva stopped me at lunch and said, "I haven't had the chance to read the whole paper. Which is the best story?" This is like asking a parent which is their favorite child. I hesitated a moment and pointed to Jafet's opinion piece on the ID badges, not really knowing why.
After thinking about it, I picked that piece not because it was the best written, or the most interesting, but because it took the most risk. (It was also the only criticism that the principal offered when I asked him about the paper, saying he wished we had included a pro and a con.)
Publishing a student newspaper involves walking a fine line. The school provides us with a classroom and computers, pays the $534.80 for each issue (unless we sell an ad) and generally makes the paper possible. We want to be proud of our school and show it in a positive light. However, that does not mean we need to be a public relations department or a propaganda machine for the school. (See the July entry "Are you a guard dog?") Remember: we are the voice of the student. Before (and after) you write a story, ask yourself, "What would I want to know if I were the reader?"
In literature we refer to the common man as the Everyman. For our purposes, I would call it the Everystudent. It could be anyone; it could be everyone. We give voice to their thoughts.
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